Paralympian sit-skier Brian Rowland begins season with eyes set on Milano Cortina 2026

Sit-skier Brian Rowland is looking towards the 2025-26 FIS season ready and refreshed. 

As the World Cup series for Para alpine begins Dec. 10 in Steinach am Brenner, Austria, familiar faces like Rowland are gearing up for a season bookended by the biggest upcoming event in winter sports: Milano Cortina.

A competitor at the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics, he finished middle of the pack in giant slalom and super-G as Canada’s sole male in the discipline. Four years later, he’s ready to hit the slopes again.

“Compared to then, I’m feeling a bit more confident,” Rowland told CBC Sports.

“I didn't have a ton of racing behind me when I was going into the 2022 Games, so my skiing has definitely improved since then, and I've learned a lot.”

In the years since his Paralympic debut, Rowland has continued to compete. Last April, he pulled several podiums at the Europa Cup and International FIS competitions at the tail end of his campaign.

During the off-season, the athlete from Merrickville, Ont., found other ways to satiate his need for speed.

“I got a BMX this summer,” Rowland beamed.

Besides hitting pump tracks across Canada over the warmer months on his new bike, he also wakeboarded out west and got back on a dirt bike. He was paralyzed from the waist down following a motocross incident in 2015. Still, he manages to rip around on some sticks even when there’s no snow.

Equally important to Rowland, he finds a way to give back to his community at the same time. 

“I volunteer with a program called Ski Ability Ottawa. My friend is the organizer, and we offer the chance for anyone to get out and waterski,” Rowland said.

For Rowland, giving folks like him the push to get out there and try something new is paramount.

“I really enjoy